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    Dormant Spray before or after pruning?

    I have only sprayed after pruning. Why spray long canes that I’m only going to cut off and burn? Also, a dormant spray might not even be necessary if you will be keeping up with any issues that arise during growing season. I am able to skip it without any noticeable difference, but I do...
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    is this mold??? how?

    I added an oak spiral to a 6gallon carboy on Dec 26, just took it out, wine looks great. PH was 3.7 and SO2 approx 50 (I had racked and sulfited before adding the spiral). Did not sanitize the spiral, I read somewhere not to do that, and I didn't want it to absorb starsan. I suppose steaming...
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    Irrigation/Watering Schedule - Michigan - Marquette Vines

    Jeremy, I would not be too concerned with spraying year 1, I’m a Michigan grower and have started many new vines. Japanese beetles here in SE Mich are a real pest, but I have spoken to growers up north that have not seen them yet, but not sure about Frankfort area. I hit them with 2...
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    Just bought a home with a small backyard vineyard. I'm looking for advice on varieties.

    also, if you are aiming for 20 vines total, I would suggest maybe 10 vines of a white and 10 vines of a red. 4 or 5 of each will only get you a couple gallons of each wine. Talk to a lot of people in your area and see what they recommend. You want to avoid ripping out vines in 5 years and...
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    Just bought a home with a small backyard vineyard. I'm looking for advice on varieties.

    You have lots of varietal choices, I have narrowed mine down to Marquette (red) and Traminette (white) here in Michigan. Great disease resistance and winter hardiness. You could prune and re-train your existing vines more quickly than starting with new vines, but the downside is that you don't...
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    Just bought a home with a small backyard vineyard. I'm looking for advice on varieties.

    Just a word of warning that the more varieties you plant, the more work. Different varieties can mean different trellis systems, disease pressures and spray programs, pruning methods, harvest times, winemaking methods, etc. It can quickly get complicated and very time consuming. If that is...
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    Question about TWC training...

    I grew my Marquette on VSP for 5 years, then converted them to HWC for the past 3 years (Michigan). Marquette likes to grow in all directions and VSP required a lot of training and tieing off. That's fine if you have a small vineyard and have the time. I was also hoping for lower acid and...
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    New growth tips suddenly dying?

    I've seen leaves shrivel when they get chemical drift or lawn herbicides applied neaarby.
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    Growing Marquette organically ?

    I have tried Surround for JB's in the past with no success, and they are a major problem for me every year. One time-consuming organic solution: in the early morning before they become active, put about 2" of soapy water in a bucket and knock them off the leaves into it - kills them instantly...
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    Petite Pearl Brix

    Bee netting? I’m assuming that’s a joke. I used the traps they sell in the hardware store, which worked great. When the bait wore off in 2 weeks, I replaced it with fruit juice, which also worked great. Going to put out traps in April next year to hopefully catch some queens before they...
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    Add Your Backyard Vineyard

    I removed my LaCrescent this year, it required way too much thinning and tending compared to my other varietals. Do you have a similar issue?
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    Bird damage, or...?

    Looks like bird damage - and you netted last year with no problems. I grow Seyval and Marquette and never had disease cause anything like this, only birds.
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    Fruit drop

    A pic of my elec fence, works great.
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    Hello from Mid-Michigan!

    A pic of my Traminette, getting close to picking time!
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    Hello from Mid-Michigan!

    Traminette matures about 3 weeks after Marquette. I like the Traminette, but others have had problems with cold hardiness (not me). I agree that it is better to have varietals with similar maturity dates, and for me the earlier the better, because I fight birds/wasps/racoons, and the longer the...
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